Kallias led her by the hand back to the room as he switched off the lights. He helped her find the bed in the dark room, but as she climbed into bed, she noticed that she couldn’t feel him near her anymore. She wondered for a moment if he’d left the room, until she heard the shuffling of his clothing. Then, he crawled in behind her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him. She felt his bare chest and his bare legs against her. His body being wrapped securely around hers felt so soothing that she almost forgot about the pain.
“You need to sleep, moro mou,” he said in her ear. “I will be right here.”
“I am sleepy,” she admitted groggily, her voice beginning to slur. But even as she began to drift into a half-awake-half-asleep state, Erik’s words from earlier in the night replayed in her mind. “Kallias? Can I ask you something?”
He chuckled, “As long as you get some rest afterward.”
Waves of drowsiness swept over her. “Would it hurt you if I died?”
Kallias was quiet for so long that by the time he finally answered, she’d already drifted off to sleep. He nuzzled his face in the crook of her neck, and knowing that she wouldn’t hear him, he sighed, “Yeah. It would fucking kill me.”
—
Rose moaned sleepily as she felt the sensation of his warm lips on her neck. His lips parted, and his tongue traced the pulsing artery in her neck. She squirmed in his hold, but he held her tightly to him, with her back pressed against his front, his legs tangled with hers, as he continued to slowly kiss her neck.
She moaned in protest, “Mmmmm…Kallias, what are you doing?”
“Waking you,” he murmured as he nipped her ear with his fangs.
She jerked in surprise as he sucked at the lobe of her ear, sending waves of pleasure through her veins. “Most people just go with: ‘Hey, you. Wake up.’”
He chuckled, his laugh vibrating against her skin. “How are you feeling?”
Before she could answer, he pressed his lips against her neck, instantly dissolving her train of thought. He grazed his fangs gently across her skin as he kissed and sucked at her neck. Rose squirmed against him. “Yeah, I…uhh…don’t really want to talk about how I’m feeling right now,” she squeaked. She clenched her thighs together in hopes of easing the aching desire between them.
She felt his lips curve into an amused smile against her skin. “You seem to be feeling better tonight,” he noted. His finger traced lazy circles on her thigh.
“Better. Better’s a good word,” she mumbled.
In one fluid motion, Kallias rolled her over onto her back and rolled on top of her, bracing his hands on each side of her pillow, holding his weight above her. His warm lips descended upon hers, devouring her. She moaned softly and kissed him back with the same intense, all-consuming passion. Her hands found his hair, and her legs wrapped around his hips almost instinctually, pressing their bodies closer together. His hand entangled in her hair as he deepened the kiss.
“Wait…mm…stop,” she mumbled, her voice muffled by his lips.
He immediately pulled back, as if he’d been stung. “What’s wrong?”
Rose blushed. “I need to brush my teeth.”
He scowled at her. “What?”
She bit her lip nervously. “Haven’t you ever heard of morning breath?”
“No,” he said. “Are you seriously thinking about your teeth right now?”
“I would prefer to have minty breath when you’re kissing me,” she said.
Kallias just stared at her, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Then, blinking in shock, he climbed off of her and stood to switch on the light.
Rose blushed at his half-dressed state and then hopped off of the bed and hurried to the bathroom. As she held her toothbrush under the water, she noticed his reflection in the mirror, behind her, leaning against the doorframe.
“Do you actually think I care about this?” Kallias asked, frowning at her. He sounded offended by the mere suggestion. “Are you going to start insisting that you have a shower and brush your hair every time I kiss you as well?”
Rose scowled at her reflection in the mirror. Her long, red hair seemed even thicker than usual, puffed out and frizzed from sleeping on it. The disheveled mess fell over her shoulder. “Oh. Crap. I do need to brush my hair.”
His brows furrowed. “Do you think I’m that shallow?”
“What?” she sputtered. “No. Of course not.”
“Then, why are you worrying like this?” he asked. He stepped forward and placed his hand on her shoulder. He turned her toward him, his gaze soft but intense. “Nothing as ridiculous as this could make me stop wanting you, Rose.”
Her toothbrush dripped water on her pajama shirt as she stared at him. She needed to respond, but she was stuck on the wanting part. He’d said that to her before. He’d said it in Greek. Se thelo. I want you. Her mind raced with all of the different things that the word want could mean. It could mean sexual desire, passing fixation, or aching longing. You could want someone in the way you want sex. Or you could want someone in the way you want a new object, a toy. Or… you could want them in the way you want food and water, as if you can’t live without them. You could want them on a whole other level, the way you long for the other half of your broken soul. She wondered which type of want he’d meant.
She shook herself out of her thoughts. “Yeah, I’m just…nervous.”
Hesitancy flashed in his eyes, as if he were afraid he’d done something wrong. “You know that I would never do anything before you are ready…right?”
“Yeah. Yeah. Of course I know that,” she sighed. “That’s not what I meant. I just meant that…well, you are so perfect, and I’m so…not…perfect.”
He stared at her, the softness of his expression hardening with bitterness. “Rose, I am as far from perfect as it gets. I just come in misleading packaging.”
“You’re not…” she began.
“Yes, I am. I’m damaged. I haven’t worked right in a long time,” he argued. He gestured toward himself. “I am wrapped well. That’s all. Inside, I’m disappointing. I am messed up and beyond repair. I am not what anyone needs.”
“We’re all damaged,” Rose said quietly, “and no one is beyond repair.”
“If you actually believe that I can change after all of these centuries, then you’re more naïve than I thought,” he scoffed. “And who says I want to change?”
“I think you do,” Rose said confidently. “I don’t think that you would hate yourself so much if you liked the way you are. And I do believe you can, if that’s what you want. It’s never too late to change yourself. You are never too far gone. But for the record, I never said that you need to change. You said that.”
She turned toward him as she waited for him to respond. But he didn’t. He just watched her, waiting for her to speak again, as he leaned against the door.
Rose stepped forward and placed her hand on his chest, feeling his rough, gruesome scars beneath her palm. “Damaged doesn’t mean unlovable.”
He stared at her, unblinking, as if he were too stunned to speak.
She smiled gently at him. “I remember, once, on a study trip, I saw this piece of pottery that an archeologist had recovered from a recent dig. It was this beautifully painted vase, but it was severely damaged. There were probably hundreds of tiny cracks in the vase. But it was kind of beautiful because it was damaged, you know. Even with all of those cracks, it held itself together. Its damage proved its strength. And the cracks seemed to make their own design, a really beautiful, unintentional design. And I remember thinking, when I was holding that piece of pottery, that there really is a such thing as beautifully broken.”
For the longest time, Kallias just stared at her, his gaze so dark and intense that she could almost feel it piercing through her. She wished, as she often did, that she could know what was going on in his mind the way that he always knew what was going on in hers. Finally, he glanced down at her hand that was still placed against his chest and h
e wrapped his own hand around it, intertwining his fingers with hers. It seemed strange to remember how hesitant he had been to hold her hand just a few nights ago compared to how natural it felt now.
“I think…you’re wrong,” he said quietly. “You’re the one who’s perfect.”
Rose blinked in shock, positive that she’d heard that wrong. “What?”
He dropped her hand and took a step backward. “I said…come downstairs with me,” he lied. “I need to introduce you to Geoff and Emma.”
She frowned. “Your other vampire friends? They’re here? Now?”
Kallias nodded slowly, his brows furrowing. “Don’t you hear them?”
Rose listened for a moment, hearing only the creaking of the air vents in the ceiling. “Well, maybe you haven’t noticed, but your walls are made of stone.”
He chuckled. “Are you coming?” he asked as he turned to leave.
She cast a sideways glance at her reflection. “I need to shower first.”
“Don’t worry about that right now. You’ll have plenty of time to shower later,” he told her as he pulled on his jeans. “It will only take a moment. I just need to know that you’re comfortable with them before I leave for the night.”
“I’m still in my pajamas. You know…the ones that you said looked like an old quilt?” she reminded him with a playful glare. She frowned worriedly. “Wait a minute. Why would you need to know if I’m comfortable with them?”
He shrugged on his shirt. “Because Geoff is staying with you tonight.”
She scowled at him. “What is this? A game of Musical Chairs? Do you really think it’s smart to leave me with every single vampire that you know?”
He sat on the bed and propped his leg over the other as he laced up his boots. He laughed at her. “Actually, I know many vampires. But I only like three.”
Rose squeezed some toothpaste onto her forgotten toothbrush. “You’re such a sourpuss. Out of billions of people in the world, you only like three?”
“Four,” he corrected quietly as he laced up his boots. “I like four people.”
Her lips curved into a surprised smile. “I like you, too, Grumpy.”
He stood. “Oh? What happened to you kind of hating me?”
She nearly choked on her toothpaste as she started laughing at his repetition of what she’d said to him several nights ago. She turned on the water and leaned over sink, spitting out the toothpaste before it could lead to her early death. “I guess it’s all kind of linked. I mean, apparently, hate is a passionate emotion.”
As they headed downstairs together, they continued to tease and laugh at each other, not really noticing the vampires at the bottom of the stairs.
Rose gasped as someone suddenly latched onto her. She could barely breathe as the arms of the person embracing her constricted her lungs.
A slender man of medium height stood in front of the door. He smiled apologetically at Rose and stepped forward. He placed his hand on his wife’s shoulder and gently pulled her backward. “Emma, she is human. Humans are fragile, remember?” His voice lilted with a strong, unmistakably British accent.
Rose rubbed her sore ribs as she frowned at the thin, petite woman who had just embraced her. The woman was undeniably beautiful. Her brown hair fell around her thin neck, perfectly framing her delicate, feminine face. A short, purple dress formed closely to her thin figure. Her small hazel eyes sparkled with delight, and her thin, pink lips curved into the brightest smile Rose had ever seen.
The woman pouted. “I’m just trying to make her feel comfortable,” she whined. Her voice held the same strong British accent as her husband’s voice.
“It’s hard to feel comfortable when your ribs are broken,” Erik said.
Erik leaned casually against the wall, next to the other male vampire. The other vampire had a slender build, similar to Erik’s frame, but he was nearly half a foot shorter than Erik and Kallias. He had short, neatly cut, black hair, and rather than the rough-looking, all-black clothing that she had become accustomed to seeing Kallias and Erik wear, this vampire dressed more like someone headed to a business meeting than someone headed out to hunt vampires. He wore black slacks and a pressed, white button-down shirt, complete with a black tie. His posture was impeccable, as if he were the epitome of perfect etiquette.
The vampire stepped forward and extended his hand. “I apologize. My wife and I are not around humans often,” he said with a polite smile. “My name is Geoffrey Cossington, and this is my Emma Cossington, my wife.”
Rose shook his hand, relieved that his grip was gentler than his wife’s. “It’s nice to meet you. Both of you. I’m… Well, I guess you know who I am.”
Emma smiled. “You’re Rose. The unusual human.”
Rose blinked at the strange, well-meaning vampire. “Yeah. The Unusual Human. That’s what it says on my birth certificate,” she muttered sarcastically.
“So, you’ll shake his hand, but not mine?” Erik complained.
Rose scowled at him. “His hands are probably clean.”
“Yes, Geoff is very clean,” Emma announced. “He bathes after killing and after sex. And he doesn’t like it when I leave my panties in the floor.”
Geoffrey suddenly looked uncomfortable. “Inappropriate, Emma.”
Rose frowned at Emma. “You leave your panties in the floor?”
“It’s not really my fault,” Emma explained. “He takes them off of me.”
“Bloody hell,” Geoffrey muttered under his breath.
Rose blinked in shock, stunned by the woman’s over-the-top honesty.
“He doesn’t like it when I leave my panties outside either,” Emma added.
Rose shot a questioning look at Kallias, but he just shrugged.
A bright red blush had begun to creep up Geoffrey’s neck.
Erik, on the other hand, seemed far too amused by this conversation. “You two have had sex outside, Geoff? I thought you were too civilized for that.”
Still blushing, Geoffrey narrowed his eyes at the obnoxious vampire.
Emma just smiled. “Oh, he’s never civilized when we…”
Geoffrey clasped his hand over Emma’s mouth before she could finish that sentence. The blush that had crept up his neck, starting beneath the collar of his button-down shirt, had already reached his ears, turning them a bright pink.
“Emma is a very honest person,” Kallias said in Rose’s ear.
“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” Rose muttered sarcastically.
Geoffrey sighed, “Emma, do you remember that conversation we had about what is appropriate to talk about in public and what is not?”
“Which one?” Emma asked curiously. “The one we had yesterday? Or the night before? Or the night before that? Or the night before that? Or the…”
“All of them,” Geoffrey interrupted. “Do remember the list?”
Emma listed them on her fingers, “Killing, drinking blood, sex…”
“Yes, that one,” Geoffrey said. “And what were you just talking about?”
“Oh,” she said. She smiled sweetly. “Sorry.”
At the sight of her smile, Geoffrey’s lips curved into an adoring response.
“They’re kind of adorable, aren’t they?” Rose muttered to Kallias.
He laughed. “Yeah, I suppose so.” He glanced at a clock on the wall. “I need to shower and get dressed. Do you think you’ll be all right with them?”
“They seem harmless enough,” she muttered.
Kallias snorted at that, as if she didn’t know what she was saying.
After Kallias excused himself to get ready, Geoffrey and Emma made their way into the living room. As Rose stood in the foyer, trying to decide whether to follow the couple she barely knew or flee to the social-safety of the library, Erik pushed away from the wall and walked over to her.
He scratched at his messy blonde hair. “Do you want something to eat?”
She shrugged and followed him into the kitchen, more concerned about t
he coffee than the food. She made coffee as Erik rummaged through the fridge for ridiculous amounts of food. “Do you always cook?” she asked curiously.
He pulled out a stick of butter. “Sure. It’s relaxing,” he said distractedly.
“What about Kallias?” she asked as she filled the coffee pot with water.
“Yeah, of course. Whichever one of us wakes up first,” Erik mumbled.
She turned on the coffee maker and turned toward him, frowning as she watched him toss a carton of eggs on the counter. Shockingly, none of them broke from his careless treatment. “Audrey says that my cooking is cruel and unusual punishment, which is totally unfair, because her cooking sucks, too.”
He glanced at her curiously. “Who is Audrey?”
“She’s my best friend,” she answered, “and my roommate.”
He looked disappointed. “Is that all?”
She scowled at him. “Yes, that’s all.”
Erik cracked the eggs in the skillet. “Have you ever been with a woman?”
Her frown deepened. “I would have thought that was covered in virgin.”
“Good point,” he laughed. “You’re such a disappointment.”
“I’m so sorry that I’m not as slutty as you are,” she said sarcastically.
Erik snorted, “Did you just call me a slut?”
She shrugged. “You called me a prude.”
He started laughing, “I’ve never been called a slut before.”
“I find that hard to believe,” Rose muttered.
He flipped the eggs in the skillet, still grinning in amusement at the name she’d called him. He didn’t speak again until she’d sat down at the bar with her fresh cup of coffee. He glanced over at her. “There’s blood on your shirt.”
“Oh!” she said, grimacing at the pajama shirt. “I’ll go change.”
He braced his hands on the counter and looked at her. “It’s fine. I can handle dried blood,” he said dismissively. “Listen, in all seriousness, I didn’t just ask you in here for the food. I…uh…wanted to apologize. About last night.”
Rose gaped at him. The last thing she’d ever expected to come out of the cocky vampire’s mouth was an apology. “I asked you to do it. It was my fault.”
The Stone of the Eklektos Page 61